In a confusing Op-Ed in the April 21, 2011 edition of The Pioneer entitled “Student Protests Should Be Student Run,” the author complains that the April 13th People’s University Teach-In and protest was in fact student-run. We are not sure what the complaint is. Is it that faculty controlled the event or that they stood back while students advocated for themselves?
Many faculty members participated in the Teach-In, along with students, staff and some community members. The event was planned by a coalition of students, faculty, and staff. The unifying theme of the People’s University was not self-interest or grousing about course cuts. The unifying theme of the Teach-In topics was SOCIAL JUSTICE, or how people in our society can be treated fairly, have a share in the goods that our society can provide, and lead quality human lives. As for the role of faculty, teaching is what we do. We present information and ideas that we think are important and students, whether in class or at the Teach-In, think about and independently examine what we say by checking our facts, considering counter-arguments, and adding their own experience.
There are a few misconceptions that we would like to dispel from the April 21 Op-Ed. First, it was not the case that classes were canceled due to the April 13th Teach-In, but many faculty members brought their classes to the event as an enrichment activity. Second, the CFA cooperates with the police prior to any organizing event and we certainly don’t encourage students to get arrested. No one was arrested during the event.
Faculty have many ways to petition the administration on our campus and in the whole CSU system. We participate in shared governance of the University through the Academic Senate and in leadership positions in our Colleges. Relative to students, we have a lot of power and voice. So, when students chose to occupy the Administration Building and demanded to be heard, faculty didn’t need to be there. Students can and should organize, advocate, and act for themselves. That’s what students were doing in the SA building on the 13th.
Seriously, do you know any CSUEB student who is a puppet? We don’t. We think that claiming that any are is not only an unfair ad hominem attack (as in “we don’t need to listen to those students’ concerns since they are only controlled by the faculty”), but also deeply insulting. The whole point of coming to a University is to think for yourself, figure out what you stand for, and develop ways to act on your values in all realms of your life. That’s what the People’s University was all about. What’s so wrong with that?